My collage is a 24”x20” postcard from Florida using items most of which were found in the Florida Capitol. I was hoping it would turn out like the classic postcards from the 50s and early 60s with the state and all the rightly colored tourist "landmarks" highlighted. The ultimate tacky tourist but still VERY retro cool, at least I think so!

A Postcard from Florida

The Florida Panhandle

Central Florida

South Florida and the Florida Keys

I started by collecting “junk” around my office and from my co-workers. Most of the junk I collected consisted of stress balls in different shapes and sizes, pens shaped like palm trees, Mardi Gras-ish beads, Bill from “I’m Just a Bill” fame, chopsticks…etc. Basically, I took just about anything people were willing to part with.

My next step was to visit the tourist information center on the first floor of my building (the Capitol) where I collected a bunch of brochures and maps. I also visited the “Old Capitol” which also serves as an art gallery that displays the works of Florida artists. This is where I got the really cool artsy palm trees. I cut them out from post cards replicas of the art work that has been displayed in the Old Capitol.

When I began assembling this granddaddy of all post cards, I cut out a good sized map from “The Canoing Guide to Florida” (free at the tourist information center on the first floor of the Capitol) and glued it to a piece of card board.

The next step was to figure out a way to show Georgia and Alabama differently than Florida. I had green glitter and in the wonderful world of kitch glitter is key so green glitter it was! The same was true with the blue glitter for the water surrounding the state. To highlight Florida's world famous beaches I used actual sand.

The next step was to cover the map with pictures from the brochures I collected from the tourist information center. I was very careful to put pictures in sections of the state where they actually belong. It would NOT make sense to put an air boat in Tallahassee! But it makes perfect sense to put one in the everglades! The same is true with the Blue Angels. They are based in Pensacola so I put a photo of fighter jets there.

While the many layers of glue were drying I put together the raised items. These items are held up with a combination of toothpicks, duct tape, and Elmer's glue.

The airplane flying from Georgia into Florida was once a pen.

The yellow hard hat in Pensacola was a hard hat shaped stress ball. Since Pensacola has been hit with SO MANY hurricanes and is still rebuilding, I put the symbol for a hurricane on the hard hat with a big no sign around the hurricane symbol!!

Bill from “I’m Just a Bill” fame is in Tallahassee, the state capital. He has been sitting in my office (on capital hill) for ages!

The Conquistador is in St. Augustine since that is where he would have landed, and is from a postcard from the Old Capitol art exhibit.

The Space Shuttle blasting off is from a Kennedy Space Center brochure.

The funky eye is from a Salvador Dali Museum brochure. The Salvador Dali Museum is located in St. Petersburg.

Mickey Mouse is made from a stress ball with cardboard ears covered in black glitter. (I had a bunch of glitter around the house!) His feet were cut off of another stress ball. (The yellow hard hat in Pensacola once had feet!)

The elephant in Sarasota is from a box of animal crackers. Sarasota is the historical winter home to the circus and circus “folk.” It is the current home to the Ringling School of Art and Design and the Ringling Museum.

The “neon” blue palm trees in Miami were once pens. They just looked very South Beach to me.

The alligator in the everglades was once “Gator Blue” for the University of Florida. He was probably given out by the University of Florida on “UF Day at the Capitol.”

The Keys in the Florida Keys are just old keys I had around the house. We have no idea what they go to.

The fins and diving flag that also make up the Florida Keys are from Mardi Gras-ish beads I negotiated away from co-workers and disassembled. I figured they should go there since there are so many islands in the Keys and such awesome diving down there!

The egret and palm trees that are in the Keys are from old capitol art shows post cards.

The beach umbrellas are cocktail umbrellas. I had a tropical themed wedding shower for my brother and his wife two years ago and I still have a ton of these!

The only items that were not from the Capitol were the glitter, glue, toothpicks, duct tape, keys of unknown origin, cocktail umbrellas, and cardboard. Those items I had at home. Everything else I scrounged up from my desk, the desk of my co-workers, or from the tourist information center. It is also important to note, that I did not use any state purchased office supplies in the creation of this project.